Online radio station seeks to keep soldiers past and present connected and supported

Active duty military personnel and veterans serve our country and Michael S. Hale wants to make sure the country serves them in return.

ASMDSS radio, an online station, is his way to keep military personnel, both current and former, connected to healthy support networks, Mr. Hale said.

Since beginning three months ago, the Ogdensburg native said he has grown a network of several thousand listeners who tune into his online radio programing.

ASMDSS began as a comedy Facebook page established by Dan Caddy last year, Mr. Hale said. But Mr. Caddy quickly realized his subscribers  composed of people connected to the military  needed more than just comedy.

Mr. Hale said the platform offered by social media sites like Facebook and the community cultivated by Mr. Caddy were the perfect environment to apply his own talents.

Mr. Hale began Warfighter Talk, a four-hour talk show hosted online every Thursday that deals with issues of reintegration into civilian life.

The show also deals with issues related to post traumatic stress disorder and the difficulty of dealing with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Were still comedy; its still military guys shucking and jiving, Mr. Hale said. But its about connecting with these guys at a level they can understand.

Mr. Hale, a 1994 graduate of Ogdensburg Free Academy, served in the Marine Corps from 1994 to 1998 and lives in Dannemora, where he works as a corrections officer. He runs ASMDSS radio in his free time.